When My brother-in-law read my first book, his first comment about the main character was, ‘He drinks a lot of tea, doesn’t he?’ I had to admit he did.
Now, on rewriting that book, I also see that many things begin when he is in bed! Either in the middle of the night, or first thing in the morning. I know he is a ‘homebody’ but even so there is far too much bed and tea. All of that will have to change.
It is useful though, to see these habits and to receive the feedback as it allows me to keep that in mind for later books where hopefully his tea addiction and need for comfort will be less apparent.
I really giggled listening to this. As in, my mouth was turned up at the edges, teeth fully exposed accompanied by loud gaffawing. Brilliant bit of writing all on its own!
I don't write but I imagine I'd be a divil for the repetitive habits/words/phrases. Every character would be an extension of me and my habits. Exclamation marks everywhere! With that in mind, I'm always impressed by diverse characterisation in a single creative piece. As in, a writer's ability to create multiple characters and describe them in terms so foreign to his or her own natural reflexes or experience is genius. It means being fully reflective of oneself and aware enough to reject and redirect thought patterns and habits. To be able to divorce oneself from instinctive 'leanings', in order to create completely independent characters, is mastery.
My characters are always drinking tea, too! Quite reflective of real life, but not strictly necessary on the page. I know I removed loads of tea drinking but I can still think of four or five scenes that survived the cull...
Ah this is so true Hattie, and so good (love the comparison to editing audio... this will help me think about my characters’ tics more too.
My first novel had the constant repetition of my protagonist being “drawn to” people. It was lazy and infuriating. I soon realised there were many better ways to show their like or dislike of another character, learning more of “show don’t tell” writing. But on my third edit of novel #2 I’m seeing lots of funny smiles cropping in. Think a “smile edit” is due!
I consciously try to avoid repeating words, but in every page I write I find a word repeated in the very next paragraph. Drives me nuts.
I’ve just finished a genre novel, from a very popular series. There’s a supporting character in the book who has a sequence of dialogue where she uses a number of the same phrases the protagonist often uses. It really jarred.
There really isn’t any work of art that’s original, I agree. The person creating it is original, but they observe the world, process it, and create something from that. Art doesn’t appear in a vacuum! I’m going to stop now before I start ranting...
I’m glad it’s not just me.
The main character in my first book can’t go more than two pages without a cigarette.
When My brother-in-law read my first book, his first comment about the main character was, ‘He drinks a lot of tea, doesn’t he?’ I had to admit he did.
Now, on rewriting that book, I also see that many things begin when he is in bed! Either in the middle of the night, or first thing in the morning. I know he is a ‘homebody’ but even so there is far too much bed and tea. All of that will have to change.
It is useful though, to see these habits and to receive the feedback as it allows me to keep that in mind for later books where hopefully his tea addiction and need for comfort will be less apparent.
I really giggled listening to this. As in, my mouth was turned up at the edges, teeth fully exposed accompanied by loud gaffawing. Brilliant bit of writing all on its own!
I don't write but I imagine I'd be a divil for the repetitive habits/words/phrases. Every character would be an extension of me and my habits. Exclamation marks everywhere! With that in mind, I'm always impressed by diverse characterisation in a single creative piece. As in, a writer's ability to create multiple characters and describe them in terms so foreign to his or her own natural reflexes or experience is genius. It means being fully reflective of oneself and aware enough to reject and redirect thought patterns and habits. To be able to divorce oneself from instinctive 'leanings', in order to create completely independent characters, is mastery.
My characters are always drinking tea, too! Quite reflective of real life, but not strictly necessary on the page. I know I removed loads of tea drinking but I can still think of four or five scenes that survived the cull...
And for the writing prompt list: Life in the desert was hard...
Ah this is so true Hattie, and so good (love the comparison to editing audio... this will help me think about my characters’ tics more too.
My first novel had the constant repetition of my protagonist being “drawn to” people. It was lazy and infuriating. I soon realised there were many better ways to show their like or dislike of another character, learning more of “show don’t tell” writing. But on my third edit of novel #2 I’m seeing lots of funny smiles cropping in. Think a “smile edit” is due!
When is the next season of the podcast back?
I consciously try to avoid repeating words, but in every page I write I find a word repeated in the very next paragraph. Drives me nuts.
I’ve just finished a genre novel, from a very popular series. There’s a supporting character in the book who has a sequence of dialogue where she uses a number of the same phrases the protagonist often uses. It really jarred.
Prompt suggestions:
I would have kept listening
Finally, the leak had stopped
There really isn’t any work of art that’s original, I agree. The person creating it is original, but they observe the world, process it, and create something from that. Art doesn’t appear in a vacuum! I’m going to stop now before I start ranting...